Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Tuesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “never” spoke with him about the ongoing government shutdown, adding that “no one really knows” who is leading Democrats in Congress.
Fetterman made the remarks during an appearance on Fox & Friends, responding to an Axios report that Schumer had privately urged a group of moderate Democrats in mid-October to keep the government closed until at least the start of the Affordable Care Act open enrollment on Nov. 1.
“I was not in a conversation or I never got any outreach,” said Fetterman, adding that “everyone understood” his position.
“I really kind of led the charge [to keep the government open] back in March. And then I said, ‘I know we’ll be back in September.’ And I said, ‘I know where my vote will be then, too.’”
Fetterman was among eight Democrats and Democrat-aligned independents who voted Monday night to reopen the federal government following the longest shutdown in U.S. history, doing so without securing any Republican concessions on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies beyond the end of the year, the New York Post reported.
“It’s always a hard yes to keep our government open,” he explained Tuesday during his Fox appearance. “I mean, that’s my principle, because it’s wrong to shut our government down. And now we knew that we would put [at risk] those 42 million Americans for SNAP and paying our military and, you know, the Capitol Police.
“I mean, people have went five weeks without being paid. I mean, that’s a violation of my core values. And I think it’s [a violation of] our party’s [values] as well,” he added.
He openly blasted his fellow Democrats for turning the shutdown into a political stunt, calling it an “absolute failure” and reminding them that “Americans are not leverage.”
Asked by co-host Lawrence Jones: “Who is running the show now in the Democratic Party, in the Senate, in the House?”, the Pennsylvanian made a frank and stunning admission.
“No one really knows,” Fetterman responded. “My values are reflected in my vote and the things that I support here, and if that might put me at odds with parts of my party, I’m okay with that. I mean, we need to be a … big tent party.”
The hoodie-wearing senator has not hesitated to distance himself from certain elements of his party’s left-wing movement, maintaining a strong pro-Israel stance and expressing concern over the aggressive, all-or-nothing tactics favored by many on the party’s extremist flank.
“I think my party crossed a line of now putting 42 American — excuse me, 42 million Americans with — with their SNAP benefits [expiring],” Fetterman said. “And making flying less safe and that kind of chaos and not paying our military. I mean, that was a red line for me that I can’t cross as a Democrat.”
The revised government funding bill approved by the Senate would keep federal operations running through Jan. 30, 2026, and provide funding for SNAP, veterans’ programs, and congressional operations through Sept. 30. The House is expected to pass the measure on Wednesday.
Fetterman was also promoting his new memoir, “Unfettered,” released Tuesday, which details his career in public service and his personal battle with depression.
“For me, you know, my message was very, very simple: if anyone feels lost or they’re in the throes of depression, you know, I beg people, please, please stay in this game, because I promise you — you will get better,” the senator said.
“Three years ago, you know, I was in the depths of that depression, and now I’ve emerged as a [US] senator.”
